# In regards to packing Flake tobacco...



## Mycroft Holmes (Jan 20, 2011)

Hello Everyone, 

It’s been a while since I’ve been on this forum, and I must say that I am truly happy to be back. In classic Mycroft style, I have another question for you all that I’m sure will show some of my ignorance. So, please bear with me.

A few days ago I decided to finally break out my tin of Irish Flake that I have had for about a month. I have been holding out on opening it, in part because I had plenty of other stuff to smoke, and also partly out of “fear” of the warning that reads “for the experienced pipe smoker.” Anyway, after finally gaining the courage to tackle this Peterson-made tobacco, I opened the tin and grabbed a flake. I suddenly realized that I really had no idea how to pack a flack tobacco. I did my best to try to figure it out, but I was left with a bowl of tobacco that looked like a monkey had packed it, and to make matters worse, I would not stay lit. 
So I now turn to you, Brothers, to ask if any of you would mind explaining to me how you yourself pack a flake tobacco.
I really didn’t get much out of the Irish Flake, but I think that’s because it didn’t really stay lit, due to my packing job. Any help that you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, 

Mycroft


----------



## Exille (Mar 7, 2011)

Just learned how to pack flake in a couple different ways myself, first off the easiest is to rub it out which basically is just taking a flake, putting it in the palm of your hand and rubbing both of your hands together until the tobacco crumbles into more manageable pieces than you just pack your pipe like usual.

Another way which ive done a couple times and has worked out pretty good is lay your flake out on your desk or a cutting board and grab your buck knife or similar and chop the flake into little squares or cubes. Hope that helps ya!


----------



## InsidiousTact (Dec 3, 2010)

You could try rubbing out for starters, then when you're used to that give fold 'n stuff a try, basically just fold it in half hot-dog style, then fold it in half hamburger style, twist it a bit to loosen it up, and shove it in. You may need to trim a bit before shoving it in depending on the size of the pipe. You could also try rolling it (just how it sounds , you make a cylinder out of it), or cannonballing it (squeeze it into a ball shape).

Hope this helps!


----------



## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

I have found that IF is not a great fold and stuffer, it's so solid that you almost have to bone dry it to keep a folded bowl lit compared to the lighter Stokkebye, MacBaren, or Gawith flakes. If in doubt with any flake, rub it between your palms until it looks like tobacco you're familiar with. Cube cutting is a nice option but it seems to kick the IF punch up a notch in my limited experience, and it's already Mike Tyson.


----------



## BrewShooter (Mar 17, 2011)

I found this, but haven't tried it yet:

Mac Baren - How to fill a pipe


----------



## Natedogg (Jun 21, 2010)

Flakes = Fold n' stuff, rub them out, cube them, or CANNON BALL!

Over time you learn which flakes do best which way.

IF is most flavorful rubbed, as is LNF and LBF. LTF works no matter what you do. Erinmore is best cannon balled.

At least for me anyway.


----------



## bierundtabak (Nov 15, 2010)

+1 on IF. Def. not a fold n stuffer for me. I haven't tried it cubed though, maybe I'll try that tonight.


----------



## komakino (Apr 8, 2011)

I like the idea of fold and stuff, but it seems to take so much maintenance. Maybe it is because I'm a newb, but the outside ring never seems to burn right and I'm constantly having to stir and tamp.


----------



## InsidiousTact (Dec 3, 2010)

There's a school of thought that you don't necessarily want all the tobacco to burn, just the center... Not sure how true it is but others on here have vouched for it.


----------



## komakino (Apr 8, 2011)

Thanks for the tip - I'll do some searching around the forums.


----------



## rkm5052 (Mar 16, 2011)

I also ran into the same problem with my SG FVF. Is this a flake that is best folded and stuffed, or rubbed out?


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I cannonball if it's soft enough. Otherwise, I turn it into "normal" tobacco by crushing it up with my fingers onto a piece of paper. I've found that you can pack a flake slightly tighter than ribbon, since it maintains decent airspace by the nature of its texture. In fact, if you pack flake too loose, unlike ribbon that might burn a bit too fast, it simply goes out since there is insufficient contact between the pieces. Even folding and stuffing or cannonballing, you have to break it apart some or it doesn't quite work.


----------



## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

I usually fold the flake in half the thin way and roll it between my fingers like getting ready to roll a cigarette until the tobacco is in thin strips, then fold in half the long way and insert it into the pipe. then I press it down until it fits in the bowl (usually a dublin), light and smoke.


----------



## Andrewdk (Feb 3, 2011)

Mycroft, thanks for asking, I've been wondering how the other methods (apart from rubbing out) worked and hadn't yet found a thread on it. Thanks to all the BOTLs for the advice as well.


----------



## funbags (Jan 19, 2011)

I do the fold and stuff for most of the flakes i smoke.I tried the rubbing out method but it just works better for me.


----------



## gpearson (Jun 1, 2010)

I generally fold-and-stuff, after letting the flake dry out a decent amount. Especially so with the denser flakes like IF/UF, as they seem to retain moisture


----------



## Mycroft Holmes (Jan 20, 2011)

Thank you to all of you fine gentlemen who responded to my question about packing flake tobacco. I'm looking forward to trying a few of these methods tonight and in the near future. Thanks again.


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Mycroft Holmes said:


> Thank you to all of you fine gentlemen who responded to my question about packing flake tobacco. I'm looking forward to trying a few of these methods tonight and in the near future. Thanks again.


Since I was last here, I have posted a "musketball" tutorial. In case you missed it:

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/293111-musketballing.html

It's my main way to smoke flakes.


----------



## italiansmoker (Sep 30, 2009)

I'm a fold and stuff fan too. While you're growing experience, you'll find your way to fold the different flakes on the market and fit them to your pipe bowls. I found that a torch cigar lighter works perfectly with this method, a traditional pipe lighter works well and matches are not so useful or at least they are tricky to use lighting a folded flake. If you choose the cigar lighter, be careful or the rims of your pipes will suffer a bit. Smoking folded flakes, you'll notice that their tendency is to burn in the center, making a sort of tunnel, with the help of a tamper you can just adjust the situation pushing the side tobacco to the center and filling the tunnel.


----------



## canadianpiper (Nov 27, 2010)

I usually get mixed results with the fold and stuff method so lately Ive been rubbing them all out and I have been enjoying them more.


----------



## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

folding and stuffing I always get the center to burn and the sides unburnt, pushing the sides in with the pointee part of the check tool helps. I've tried the musketball with mix results. 
dublinthedane methods works well with dense flakes like IF and UF , now fully rubbed out worths well, espically with coins like escudo or bulleyes, to me it basicly like when you pour a splash of cold water or ice cubes into a good scotch it opens it up 
gonna go back to rubbing flakes out, I wanna enjoy my flakes, not turn it into work 
troy


----------



## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

I found Youtube to have great videos on all methods.....


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

asmartbull said:


> I found Youtube to have great videos on all methods.....


The "musketball" generally goes under the "air pocket method".


----------



## FlimFlammery (Feb 25, 2011)

Dubinthedam has a great video showing the fold method:

‪dubinthedam's Channel‬‏ - YouTube


----------



## z0diac (May 18, 2010)

I usually fold it over in half then fold that over again. It strands up as you fold it and makes kind of a cubic birds nest when stuffed into the bowl. Seems to work well.

I've rubbed it out a couple times but usually just folding it over works, depending on how most. If it's really moist I'll roll the ball around in my fingers lightly just to get rid of any clumps.

I love flake and it's pretty much all I smoke.


----------



## gentimmy (Nov 1, 2010)

‪Flake Pipe Tobacco Fold and Stuff Method - PipesMagazine.com‬‏ - YouTube

how long do yall let your tobacco dry for?


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

gentimmy said:


> ‪Flake Pipe Tobacco Fold and Stuff Method - PipesMagazine.com‬‏ - YouTube
> 
> how long do yall let your tobacco dry for?


For a musketball not long, because it won't make a good ball if it's too dry.


----------



## gentimmy (Nov 1, 2010)

thanks, Jim


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

gentimmy said:


> thanks, Jim


Just to expand on that a bit, if the flake is too dry it crumbles instead of wadding up, so it winds up being rubbed out basically. This is not a bad thing. :lol: I like them on the borderline of being that dry. Flakes that are a bit moist seem to smoke better than do loose cuts with a similar moisture content, though. I don't mind Erinmore or Dunhill Flake straight out the tin, for example. Not many tobaccos that can't use a little drying time.


----------



## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

FlimFlammery said:


> Dubinthedam has a great video showing the fold method:
> 
> ‪dubinthedam's Channel‬‏ - YouTube


Just followed the video...1st successful bowl using this method


----------



## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Our Puff brother Requiem Pipes has created a great starting point for those new to the You Tube pipe smoking community. This channel has great links to many pipe smoking videos of interest to new pipe smokers. Just click on any of the links on this page:

‪4PipeNewbies's Channel‬‏ - YouTube

and it will link you to several videos on that topic. For example, the Filling A Pipe section has many excellent videos on all the different ways you can fill a pipe. This is also a great way to get to know some of the best You Tube pipe presenters.


----------



## italiansmoker (Sep 30, 2009)

Thanks for the link, John!


----------



## JD11 (Aug 21, 2008)

Great link .. very helpful Thanks


----------



## Troutman22 (Feb 2, 2011)

I prefer rubbing out my flakes.


----------



## pipinho (Aug 27, 2011)

every time i smoke flake tobacco i always have tobacco left on the bottom of my bowl.


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

pipinho said:


> every time i smoke flake tobacco i always have tobacco left on the bottom of my bowl.


You need a wooden tamper.









(I think I just screwed up the screwed up new attachment sequence again. sigh.)

Oh well -- a wooden tamper lets you twist the top of the pile and smooth it without compacting it (much). You wind up barely tamping and breaking the pieces off the side as you go, gradually compacting it to the bottom at the very end, and it all burns up. A wooden tamper is to pipe smoking as a golf glove is to swinging a golf club. It makes things easier for most.


----------



## Mycroft Holmes (Jan 20, 2011)

I have to say that Jim's wooden tampers work really well. I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical when he first sent me one a while ago with a few samples, but those little wooden tampers work wonders, especially with flakes.


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

I prep flakes with a pair of scissors. I cut the flake (against the grain) into strips about 1/8 or 1/4 inch in width. Since I'm cutting against the grain, the strips sort of crumble on their own. 

Works well for me.

I'm sure this method has probably been done before and has a name...but I came up with it on my own one day, and have been prepping all of my flakes this way since.


----------

